Descriptions of a number of carriers for loading, transporting and unloading large cylindrical bales of hay appear in the prior art. Bales having a length of six feet (1.83 meters) and a diameter of seven feet (2.12 meters) are not unusual, and while certain of the prior art structures appear capable of handling such bales, their size as shown in most disclosures is also correspondingly large.
It has been found that the hay bale as it is structured by the baler may be readily moved by tensioning a single loop of a flexible cable around the bale, and that the cable so used may be as small as compatible with the tensile strength needed to slide the bale. It has also been found that the large bale can be satisfactorily held for transport while lashed tightly against a framework which is very much smaller than the bale to be handled.